How To Collect Payment

[CaptainKirk]

I sell wedding photography in the Caribbean and have been using PayPal for collecting payments.

While PayPal is great when a bride makes a deposit months in advance I am uncomfortable collecting the final payment after the wedding as there can be a waiting period of up to 10 days before PayPal clears the funds, by which time the newly weds have left St. Lucia.

And while to date I haven't been burnt by a denied payment PayPal is simply not a viable option.

Can someone therefore suggest other cost effective methods of collecting payment via credit card that will give me immediate access to the funds rather than the PayPal delay.

Here's a look at my payment page:

Wedding Images & Albums Prices | St. Lucia Weddings by Kirk Elliott

Many Thanks,

Kirk

[Raydal]

Hi Kirk,

I don't know if you can qualify for a DEBIT card from paypal, but
that may be your only bet.

On another note: I didn't realize that St. Lucia law allowed for
gay marriages.

-Ray Edwards

[CaptainKirk]

Thanks Ray,

I don't believe that PayPal is an option period. What I need is a system to collect money that is cleared as soon as I accept payment. I believe what I need is a merchant account, but I wanted opinions on which one to choose.

On your other observation - Same sex marriages are not legal in St. Lucia and what that couple had was a promise ceremony

[Ken Durham]

If business is picking up you do want a merchant account so you can process funds in real time. Talk to your local bank, they would be able to direct you best in this.
People can also use their credit cards on PayPal.
But I have found people get skittish when going this route for some reason. Being taken away from your site is probably the biggest reason.
PayPal also offers a service for processing credit cards in real time on your site. Not sure about your area so you'll have to check with them.

Good Luck

[CaptainKirk]

Many Thanks,

Both my PayPal & bank account are out of the US so it shouldn't be a problem. Didn't know that PayPal offered a real time funds transfer service!

[Cherie L]

I've been told the paypal merchant account is actually quite good. Sometimes the banks (mine did at least) seem a little fuzzy on internet billing - you would think thet would have it all figured out by now.

[intromaster]

Yes, it's called a virtual terminal. Paypal has this option as well. However, not sure if everyone qualifies for it, though.

https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/websc...vt_hub-outside

[CaptainKirk]

Many Thanks Cherie L,

I'll be calling PayPal shortly!

[CaptainKirk]

Thx IntroMaster,

Unfortunately it's available in Continental US only

[jacktackett]

Kirk,

as others have suggested talk with your bank, and if there's another bank on the island check with them too. Also if you know any merchants in your area ask them who they use/recommend.

I'd recommend a local bank over paypal but you need to compare costs. Also remember paypal is NOT a bank.

Finally- please be careful of so called brokers - while some may be ok - a lot are scam artists and may promise you'll get accepted but who really knows.

Having said that I currently use Paypal and 2CheckOut, but when I did have a merchant account it was through my bank - and even though I was in a high risk industry (taking payments without swiping the card and signing) I was still approved since the bank knew me and the person was comfortable that I was legit. Sometimes relationships can be very important.

good luck and congrats on your business!

best,
--Jack

[marciayudkin]

Kirk,

I'm not sure how much your clients pay for their services in their final payment, but if you decide to get a merchant credit card account and accept credit cards, be sure you have their signed agreement to the charge as well as running their charge through the virtual terminal.

Otherwise they can initiate a chargeback, and Visa/Mastercard rules favor the customer more so than do Paypal rules.

By the way, the advice to get the customer's signature on an agreement was given to me by someone in my credit card company's "risk department." I have not had a chargeback since initiating this policy for any charge over $500.

Marcia Yudkin